Drive With a Bad License, and Karma Will Get You

What is it that makes Plainfield such a magnet for people driving with suspended or revoked licenses? Or maybe the question is, what are the cops doing that has them stopping so many folks for this violation?

Plainfield.patch.com has been online for exactly two weeks, and by our count there have been 25 suspended/revoked license arrests. Given that traffic is pretty sluggish thanks to Route 59 road construction west of downtown and work on U.S. 30 east of downtown, either cops are taking advantage of slow-moving vehicles to check out license plates or they're nabbing folks who try to lead-foot-it when they get the chance.

Either way, it's fairly astonishing to realize so many people are driving illegally – and these are just the ones getting caught.

You can have your license revoked or suspended for lots of reasons. Some are benign: a driver's just too lazy to go down to the Department of Motor Vehicles and renew it. Others are more scary: Someone's been convicted of too many driving infractions or maybe just one biggie, such a driving under the influence or leaving the scene of an injury accident.  

I suppose the argument could be made that these violations are small potatoes compared to the kinds of crime that happen everyday, and only towns with low crime rates have the luxury of making this a priority.

Maybe so, but it does tick me off to know that while most people manage to keep their licenses in good standing, there are so many who thumb their nose at the law and assume they'll never get caught.

It's nice to know that once in a while they do.

Karen Sorensen is pinch-hitting for vacationing About Town columnist Robyn Monaghan.